Gas-generator.



C. B. STEELE.

GAS GENERATOR.

APPLlc/wmu FILED Avn. 1s. lsoa.

1,227,974.- Pand May 29,1917.

3 SHEETS-@MHT l.

Patented May 29; 1917. v

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- C. B. STEELE.

GAS GENERATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR.16,190.

fw @WOQ' CHARLES BREWSTER STEELE, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAS-GENERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29,1917.

Application led April 16, 1908. Serial No. 427,511.

To all whom 'it may donnera.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES Bnnws'rER STEELE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and Stateof New York, have invented a certain new and useful Gas-Generator, ofwhich the following is a specification.

. My invention is a gas-generating plant, more especially designed forthe production of a hydro-carbon gas by the union of a carbid withwater,but 4-broadly statedymy invention is as well adapted for the generationof a gas from any decomposable salt by contact with an acid, when theparts are constructed of such material as to 'resist the action thereof,the device bein equally applicable for use in a chemical la oratory, forthe generation, for instance, of hydrogen from scraps of Zinc, or carbondioxid from cubes of marble, or oxygenifrom a peroxid.

This `plant consists of a plurality of individual coperative generators,composed of mutually counter-balanced inverted gas receptacles and waterreceptacles, each individual generator being provided with gas outletconduits that unite in the gas supply main, the outlets of eachindividual generator being automatically cut off when the carbid in theindividual generator has ceased to produce gas, and the gen eratorbecomes dead, all residue gas being carried o' previous to recharging,and any air within an individual generator 'conducted away subsequent torecharging, with absolute safety, by the gas-air blow of pipes, saidautomatic cut offs preventing any gas from entering the building inwhich the plant may be located when the interior of any individualgenerator is exposed during the operation of being recharged, all theindividual generators being capable of simultaneous, or individual use,for supplying gas to the main, all the generating units and workingparts being surrounded and inclosed in a sealed compartment casing, withventilation pipes coactively and conjunctively operating with the blowolf pipes. The disposition of the generators within this sealed case,provided with the air ingress and egress pipes, permits of a continuouscirculation of fresh air around the generators, even when they areinactive, and produces an increased and forced circulation when thegenerators are operating, induced by the alternate approach andrecession of the gasometers or inverted gas receptacles, and waterreceptacles, thereby, surrounding all the generating ports with coolingand differential intervening tem peratures, that condense any moisturethat may be absorbed by the gas, and precipitate such moisture to thetrap formed in the outlet conduits, together with the means for removingthe precipitated moisture, which results in the delivery for use, of acool, dry gas, possessing the highest 'degree of luminosity and candlepower.

` `The advantage obtained by the counter-- balancing of the gasometerand lthevvater receptacle,l so that the gasometer, by the applicationofweights, 4will slightly overcome the weight of the water receptacle whenit is filled with water to the working level, is, that the gas willalways be under, substantially, the same pressure, because theacceleration is slow, since the mass to be moved, which is the sum ofthe weight of the gasometer, the water, and the receptacle, is verylarge, in comparison to the weight acting to move them, and since thewater receptacle rises an equal distance to meet the gasometer, whichcarries the carbid, the distance that the carbid must move to reach thewater, is only -one half that required in any other type of generator;consequently, the velocity of the carbid in descending is very muchless, so'that it would not Venter the water as deeply, but, on thecontrary, comes only slightly in contact with the water, the gaspressure then'imme- 4diately forcing the vwater and the carbid apart,depressing the water, and causing the gasometer and the carbid therein,to rise .away .from the water, by the combined ac-V tion of the two,maintaining 4the distances between the surfaces of the water-seal andthat inside the` gasoineter nearly constant, thereby preventing thatsudden and rapid decomposition of the carbid, and excessive generationof gas, so common to generators heretofore known.

An additional` means for preventing excessive generation is provided byconstructing the carbid holder so that the carbid is disposed in aseries of layers, spaced' apart, so that thel liquid cannot come? into'conftact with the entire mass of carbid at once,

but, will act, successively, on thel several.v

layers, from the bottom to thev top, whereby,

substantially, dry carbid is always presentV in the holder, until thewater reaches the uppermost layer,thus preventing premature'decomposition and after generation,

the water receptacle being always liept"cleanA represent like parts, inthe different figures i tray.

respectively. l

Figure 1f' is a vertical section of'the generating plantwhen twogeneratingunits are emplby'ei Iiig.` 2, is a plan of 'the same, with aportion of the top of the casing broken away. Fig. 3, is an endelevation ofthe gasometer gasoutlet pipe, partlyin section.

Fig. 4, is a vertical'section of the carbid receptacle.

Fig. 5, is a plan view, partly in section, of the gas outlet pipe,showing the connecting gas main and blow oil' pipes, and theircontrollin .valves Fig. 6, 1s a perspective view of a carbid Fi. 7, is avertical section of the gas outlet pipe ofone of the individualgenerators, showiriggt'hev trap for the water of Econdensatin and:xn'eas Afor removing the` saine.

Fig. 8, is an elevation, partly in section, ofthe top of the gas outletpipes of two live generators, shwi'ng the connections tio the pump' fordrawing out the water oflcondensation, and a fragmentof the incl'osingcasing and its sealed closure, thatv permits accessto the pump handle,and'connecting pipes andvalves.

9, is a plan view of th'esarne, with' a fragment ofthe inclosing casing,showing the general pipe arrangement and connection, and the pumpclosure.

Fig.,A 10, is a plan view ofthe debris retainer, showing its top andbottom shape preserving rings.

Fig. 11, is an elevation of the debris re tainer skeleton protector.

Fig. 12, is a plan of a generating plant,

with part of the top of the casing broken away, showing the pump, withits closure in section.

The numeral 1 represents the inclosing casing, divided into separatesealed compartments bythe partition, 2, and provided with closures, 3,suitably sealed by gaskets,

and secured by clamps, 5, and provided with air inlet and outlet pipes,6, and 7, respectively, each of which leadsto the outside of thebuilding. To the inside, and nearf thej topofithe casing walls andpartition, are secured sockets, 8, for the reception of the brackets,9', inf-which are jeun naled pulleys, 10, over which vpass the cables,lll', toene end-ofwliichare sspended; water receptacles, 1Q, andto theother end gasonreter's, 13,- which consistofi'cyiinders open at their'lower ends andclosed at short distance below their upper ends by thetransverse walls, 14, provided with charging openings, 15, from the4edge 'of which depend hooks, 16, the ends of'fsaid 'hoblrsK being incontact with the closures, 17, i when said closures are suitably sea'ledand secured in position. Extendingv upwardly fiolnlr each closure is theannular projecting rim, 18, surrounding the annular counterbalancingweight, 19. l

Suspended from the hooks, 16, by the loops, 20, i's the reticulatedcarbid receptacl'e, 21, provided with the handbail, 22, the contacting fthe hooks, 16, with the closure, 17, firmly securingand locking thecarbid receptacle inoperative positiom/and precl'u'ding the possibilityof its being dislodged'. Within and closely tti'ng the walls and thebottom of the carbid' receptacle is the debris retainer, 23, made of anysuitable strong woven fabric or ieXi'ble absorbentmaterial'throughwhich' water may percolate, but that wil-l ret-ain thedisintegrated carbid, preventing it from dropping' into and fouling thewater receptacle, and also, permittingfsaid deb'risto'be removed withthe carbid receptacle when the generator is recharged. To the top ofthis debris retainer is'secured the ring, 21, and within and at itsbottom is secured the ring, 25, both serving to keep it in proper shape.Closely fitting within said debris retainer is the reticulated basket, 26, tov preventany injury to the fabric when the` carbid trays,-27, areinserted, or removed from the carbid receptacle, said trays, 27,consisting of reticulated materials formed with conical sides, withtheir bottoms' united to, and intermediate the tips and botto-ms of thesides, the pprtion, 28, of the sides, belbwpthe bottom, forming-a spacebetweeny each itray,v to `.per- Init the water to attack the carbid.

The transverse wall, 14, of theY gasometer is provided with' an upwardlyprojecting hollow dome, 29, to receive the valved-end i 1ol of the gasoutlet pipe, 30when thefcarbid has been exhausted, and the gasometer hasdropped to its lowest position, thereby forcing the valve, 31, to itsseat, upon the end of the gas outlet pipe, 30, automatically cutting olfthe gas between the two generators, to prevent any How of gas from thelive generator to the dead generator, during the operation ofrecharging. The valve, 31, is formed of a cylinder, closed at 011e end,from which projects into the cylinder the valve closure, 32, the upperend of the cylinder being provided with slots, 33, to permitvthe gas toenter the end of the pipe, 30, when the valve is open. Extendingdownward from the cylinder is the valve rod, 34, bent in the form of a Uand held in position byguides, 35, secured to the U shaped pipe, 30.yThe upper end of this rod is provided with a bolt socket, 36, for thereception of the locking bolt, 37, which enters the perforation, 38, inthe sleeve, 39,

which is rigidly secured to the pipe, 30, through which sleeve extendsthe rod, 34. To the sleeveor bracket, 40, is flexiblyattached a lever,41, fulcrumed on the sleeve at 42. Between the sleeve and the upper endof the lever is secured a compression spring, 43, which `forces thedetent bolt, 37, into the bolt socket, 36, when the gasometer reachesits lowest position and forces the valve to its seat whereby the valveis auto matically securely locked. The pipe, 30, is, provided with atrap, 44, for the water of condensation, from the gas, which isalwayspresent when the gas is generated inl contact with the water at anytemperature above normal, and which is precipitated when the gas iscooled by radiation. Whenever a gas conduit descends to a lower levelbefore it rises, the water of condensation will collect at the lowerlevel `of the pipe, causing the lights to alternately, flare, and,become dim. Said trap, 44, is provided with a well 45, in which thewater of condensation will collect without affecting the flow of gasthrough the pipe, since the by-pass, 46, will permit the gas to passfrom one leg of the U to the other. This by-pass is spaced from the topof the well of the trapin order that there may be a circulation of theliquid of the water receptacle, between the gas by-pass and the top ofthe well, in order to condense the vapors in the well, so they will dripinto the well, and prevent their being carried over with the gas, theshape of the trap being such f that `the condensation will run down, anddrip from the center of the top of the well. The bottom` of the welllinclines to the point from which leads the suction pipe, 47, whichextends from the bottom of the well up through the branch of the pipe,30, through the perforated sealed cap, 48, screw threaded to the top ofsaid pipe, 30, and is connected to the pump, 49, which is used towithdraw the water of condensation from the trap, when the valve, 50, isopened, discharging it to the water receptacle, through the dischargespigot, 58, one pump serving to empty a plurality` of traps by suitablepipe connections, this construction possessing the great advantage offreeing the traps of water while the generating plant is in activeoperation and generating gas, while the plant remains `hermeticallysealed.

At the upper end of each of the pipes, 30, just beyond the point "wherethey turn at right angles toward each other, are the duplicate three wayvalves, 52, united by a common T coupling, 53, to which is secured thegas main 54, provided with a cut off valve, 55. From each three wayvalve lead the air blow olf pipes, 56, that connect with the air outletVentilating pipes, 7, that unite in a common conduit, the blow off pipesbeing of smaller diameter, extending within the ventilation pipes ashort distance,

thereby giving an injector action to any air within the casing, when thethree way valves are turned to open communication with pipes, 30, andthe blow olf pipes.

In Figs. 8, 9, and, l2, is shown connections for drawing oli' water fromthe traps by means of one pump, the pipes, 47, leading from each trap,uniting in the common conduit, 57, which connects directly with thesingle cylinder solid reci rocating istoii type pump, 49, provided withthe disc arge spigot, 58, said pump, 49, extending upward through, andforming an air-tight joint, Hush with, the top of the casing, 1, the

pump handle, 59, being covered by thev hinged closure, 60, which issecurely sealed and held in closed position by the clamp, 61. The mannerof charging and operating this device is as follows Assuming that thegeneratingplant has been in proper operation, and that one gen eratorhas become exhausted, or dead, as

disclosed in Fig.` 1, the lthree way valve of the dead generator outletpipe isV turned to exhaust through the air blow oi ventilating pipe, andthe weights removed from the gasometer, which causes the gasometer torise to the top of the casing. The gasometer closure is then removedandthe carbid receptacle taken out, and an extra, duplicate, refilledcarbid receptacle is suspended in position in the gasometer' and theclosure replaced. The valve, 31, is then unlocked and opened, and theweights replaced upon the closure, whereupon, the gasometer willimmediately descend and commence to generate gas, forcing the air outthe blow off pipe, which is allowed to continue until the air has blownoff and the.,y

gas runs pure, which time has been determined for each size of generatorby factory test, after which time'tll'e three Way Valve is turned toconnect the gas outlet pipe `with the house main, and the casing closed.

The extra carbid receptacle, which has just been removed from thegenerator, is then cleaned by removing the trays, the cage, and thedebris retainer, dumping out the disintegrated carbid refuse, washingthe parts, and drying the receptacle, and placing the parts again inposition in reverse order of removal, after the trays have been filled,when the carbid receptacle is ready for use when needed for rechargingthe generator.

This generator is not only perfectly safe while in active operation, butabsolutely safe while being recharged, in reality, fool proof, for whenan individual generator becomes dead, all the gas has been forced out ofthe gasometer into the service pipe, and automatically locked therein;consequently, there is no gas left in the generator to escape, when theclosure of the gasometer is removed, and the generator can be rechargedwith absolute safety while the lights of the building remain burning,since the burners are constantly supplied with gas from the companiongenerator, and as long as there is" provision for blowing off the airfrom the recharged generator, none can enter the service pipes when therecharged generator is again connected with the house main; therefore,no air will be admitted to the pipes leading to theburners, and,consequently, the lights will not be extinguished. There can never b'ean overproduction of gas, nor any blowing out of the water seal, becausethe carbid receptacle cannot fall into the water receptacle, for whenthe gasometer closure is in position, the carbid receptacle is locked inplace; nor can any of the carbid fall through the walls of the carbidreceptacle, beingV prevented by the debris retainer; consequently, therecan be no pre-generation, over-generation, aftergenera'tion, or anyfouling of the water receptacle.

In Figs. 8, 9, and 12 the suction pump, 49, for withdrawing the water ofcondensation, is shown extending within the casing, with suitable pipeconnection indicated for a plurality of generators, coveredand sealed byasuitably hinged, gasketed, and fastened closure, 60, so that access maybehad to the pump at'all times, while any, or all, of the generators arein active operation, without the necessity of removing the covers of thecasing, and maintain the double sealing integrity and safety of thegenerating plant.

The qualities desirable, essential, and requisite to constitute aperfect generating plant for gas, are that it shall be, easy to chargeand keep clean, quick to generate the gas" when suddenly drawn" upon,able' to maintain an" even gas pressure, freedom from obstructionVl ofits outlet, simple in structure', cool when generating gas, certain ofventilation, capable of being recharged whileI it is supplying Igas tolighted burners, with provision for preventing air` entering thev gasmain, andnever pernitting the escape of gas to the generator room ofthebuilding, all of which contribute to render the plant absolutely safeand inspire confidence in its action, the generating plant disclosedVlin this application fully possessing all of these essentials.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new in this applicationfor Letters Patent, is

l. A gas generator consisting of a liquid receptacle and a gasonetereach being movable relatively to the other provided with a Agas outletpipe, a valve provided with an automa-tic lock governing the outlet pipeadapted to be locked in closed position when the gas has all beenwithdrawn.

2. In a gas generator, a liquid receptacle,

a plurality offiexible connections, one end of each connection beingattached to the liquid receptacle, a bell inverted within the receptacleto which is attached the other end of each of the' flexible connections,pulleys suitably supported over which the fleXi ble connections run tosupport the receptacle and bell, a carbid holder within the bell, n' agas outlet pipe extending within the 3. In a generator, a fluidreceptacle, a bell disposed-in said receptacle, each relativelymovableto the other, iexible connectionsbetween said bell and saidreceptacle, whereby the said bell and receptacle may approach and recedefrom one another under variations of gas pressure, said bell beingprovided with a removable cover, and a carbid basket /detachablyconnected to said cover.

4. In a generator, a liquid receptacle, a gas receptacle movablydisposed therein, a carbid holder within the as receptacle, pulleyssuitably supported, exible connections attached at their ends to thereceptacles and running over the pulleys, each receptacle being attachedto opposite ends of the flexible connections.

5. In a generator, a liquid receptacle, a carbid Vholdin receptaclemovably disposed therein, flexib e connections between said receptaclesand supports for said connections, the carbid holding receptacle beingso weighted that when charged with carbid it is of greater weight thanthe liquid receptacle when charged with the proper amount of water, eachreceptacle being attached to opposite ends of the flexible connections.

6.` In a gas generator a liquid receptacle,

rso

an inverted as receptacle disposed therein provided wit a holder for gasgenerating material, both receptacles being exibly supported and adaptedto approach and rece e rom each other.

- 7. A gas generator comprising a movable liquidreceptacle and a movablegas receptacle provided with a holder for gas generating material saidgas receptacle being in direct communication With the liquid receptacleand adapted to form a seal with the liquid in the liquid receptacle bothof said receptacles having flexible supports normally tending te moveboth of said receptacles closer together but permitting both of saidreceptacles to be moved farther apart on the increase in volume of gastherein.

8. A as generator, comprising a liquid receptaclge normallyovercounterbalanced by a mass subject to the attraction of gravity and agas receptacle undercounterbalanced by a mass subject to the attractionof gravity both in direct communication with each other, the gasreceptacle being above the liquid receptacle and means for generatinggas therein thereby causing the gas receptacle to ascend and the liquidreceptacle to descend.

9. A gas generator consisting of a movable liquid receptacle and amovable gas receptacle provided with means to hold a gas generatingmaterial, a gas outlet conduit, the movable liquid rece tacle and themovable gas receptacle rece ing from each other upon increase of gaspressure and approaching each other under decrease of gas pressure.

10. A` gas generator consisting of a gas Copies ot this patent may beobtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner Washington,D. C.

receptacle provided with means to hold a gas generating material and aliquid receptacle compensatingly movable in relation to each otherwhereby both receptacles recede from one another under increase ofgaspressure and approach each other upon decrease of gas pressure.

l1. A gas generator consisting of a plurality of generators connectedinseries each generator having a movable liquid receptacle and a movablegas receptacle provided vvith means to hold a gas generatin materialthat recede from one another un er in'- crease of gas pressure andapproach each other upon diminution of gas pressure, an air tight casingsurrounding the plurality of generators, means to alternativelyautomatically disconnect one of the plurality of generators from theremainder, and means to overcome ail` pressure Within they air tightcasing.

12. A gas generator consisting of a movable liquid receptacle and amovable gas receptacle provided with means to hold a gas generatingmaterial counterbalancing one another, gas outlet conduit, the movableliquid receptacle and the movable gas receptacle receding from eachother upon increase of gas pressure and approaching each other upondecrease of gas pressure.

Signed at Washington, in the District of Columbia, this 15th day ofApril, A; D. 1908.

CHARLES BREWSTER STEELE.

of Patents,

